Preserving Ut Bach Lan's wishes

Artist Ut Bach Lan during a charity singing performance - Photo: provided by artist To Chau

Artist To Chau - the last adopted child of artist Ut Bach Lan and also the person she trusted to run the White Orchid group when she passed away - recalled that this was a singing group founded by Ut Bach Lan around 1995.

30 years, a volunteer journey

In the reformed opera village, artist Ut Bach Lan is known as the sad female singer with a sad, emotional voice and extremely delicate acting.

She was once a companion in both career and life with famous singer Thanh Duoc. Although they have broken up, the beautiful memories of the talented artist couple Thanh Duoc - Ut Bach Lan still do not fade in the minds of those who love reformed opera.

Originally a street singer from Long An , thanks to her gifted voice, Ut Bach Lan gradually became a famous actress in the Cai Luong village.

Her life was sad because at the end of her life she had no husband or children, but with her talent and personality, Ut Bach Lan was still an artist respected by people in the industry and the audience. Many artists became her adopted children such as artist Phuong Hong Thuy and composer Hoang Song Viet.

Ut Bach Lan always remembers her poor background so she spends a lot of time on charity work. She often goes to remote areas to give gifts and build bridges for the poor.

Those times, seeing local artists often asking them to "sing for fun", Ut Bach Lan established a group of artists, and every time they did charity work, they organized a cozy performance to serve the locals.

Then everyone suggested a name for the group, the name Hoa Lan Trang was chosen, like the stage name of Mrs. Ut Bach Lan and also the ancient song Hoa Lan Trang that composer Vien Chau wrote especially for Ut Bach Lan.

Her good deeds are loved and supported by many artists who join the group such as artists Ut Tra On, Thanh Nguyet, Bich Phuong, Minh Tai, Dieu Hien...

In addition to charity singing, the White Orchid group often sings at pagodas. Artist Ut Bach Lan pays for the car rental and food for her fellow artists out of her own pocket. The artists participate voluntarily without asking for any fees.

At each location, depending on the conditions, the temple sends gifts to the artists. Some places send banh tet, some send 50,000 VND, 100,000 VND, but everyone is happy because they are contributing with Ut Bach Lan to make life more beautiful.

In her last years, despite her poor health, whenever someone called her to do charity work, Ut Bach Lan would rush to organize it. Then she worried about what gifts to give to the poor, how to organize cultural activities...

Artist Ut Bach Lan and To Chau sing excerpts of Cai Luong at the pagoda - Photo: provided by artist To Chau

Continuing the wishes of mother Ut

During a five-month tour in the US, seeing To Chau's hard work and perseverance, when she returned, Ut Bach Lan went to To Chau's house and talked to her mother: "Please let me adopt her as my youngest daughter." The mother-daughter relationship between Ut Bach Lan and To Chau has been strong ever since.

Confiding in Tuoi Tre, To Chau said he was moved by Ut Bach Lan's kindness and heart for her career and life. She said that artists must be grateful to the audience for their love and for giving them a bowl of rice. Therefore, when she earns money from singing outside, she saves it for charity as a way to repay life and the audience.

"We were young so we were able to participate in Hoa Lan Trang later. I still remember the image of my mother and Ms. Dieu Hien when they went to sing for charity in Gia Lai . After sitting on the bus for a long time, when we got off the bus, we were all exhausted, but my mother and Ms. Hien were healthy and smiling: "Doing charity work makes me feel healthy, but staying at home all the time makes me sick! That's why at that time we often jokingly called my mother and Ms. Dieu Hien Ly Duc!", To Chau recalled.

He said around 2013, Ut Bach Lan's mother invited everyone to sing charity songs at a pagoda outside Vung Tau. When they got there, it was deserted. It turned out that they had invited them next month, but she had mistakenly remembered this month.

When she got home, her mother called To Chau and said, "I'm old, my health is failing, my memory is confused, every time I mess up like this it's not only a waste of money but also a waste of artist's time, so you should take over for me to run Hoa Lan Trang!". So from then on, To Chau took care of all the matters of Hoa Lan Trang.

White Orchid now has many more artists such as Thanh Su, Phuong Hue, Chi Cuong, Hong Lan, Kim Phung, Ly Thu, Truong Anh Dao, Nhat Nguyen...

With the addition of artist Thoại Miêu, she returned to sing many of the previous roles of artist Út Bạch Lan and also considered herself an older sister to represent Út's mother in guiding the artists. With the decades of establishment of artist Út Bạch Lan, the White Orchid troupe has created prestige and love.

Every Buddha's birthday and Vu Lan season, the group performs continuously, not to mention other shows scattered throughout the year.

To Chau and other artists believe that the group bears the name of a talented and respected artist, so they are always careful to preserve the reputation of the late artist Ut Bach Lan, continuing her wishes and sharing love with the community.

One night in November 2016, when she was only breathing weakly, Mrs. Ut whispered to To Chau: "Gifts, gifts for the kids."

She meant to mention preparing gifts for a charity trip to Agent Orange-affected children and disabled elderly people in Vinh Long at the end of November that year. Just a few minutes later, she hiccupped a few times and left.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gin-giu-tam-nguyen-ut-bach-lan-20250516090145857.htm